The new guard.

It was a collective gasp that was heard around the world. The rumours were true: Hedi Slimane was leaving Saint Laurent! During his four-year spell as Creative Director, the brand’s reputation and fortunes had gone from strength to strength.

So, what would Anthony Vacarello, Slimane’s successor, do? He had big, big shoes to fill, noted the pundits; bigger than Big Foot’s John Lobbs. Then, in a shocking move, the @ysl Instagram account was swiftly wiped clean of all previous posts, except one—Vacarello’s portrait (which has now been deleted, as well.)

Photograph by Collier Schorr

And now, after the whirlwind of events, one thing remains in place: “Yves” has not been reinstated beside “Saint Laurent” even as the Belgian-Italian Vacarello has revived the YSL logo for his debut collection.
Vacarello’s previous gigs were with Versus Versace and his eponymous label, which he has put on hold to give his full attention to Saint Laurent. He opted not to have a runway show for the latter’s SS17 collection, but Esquire managed to get a sneak peek anyway. Vacarello favours black, that’s a known fact, but here, we see a collection that’s so much more than its colour palette.

By deconstructing iconic pieces like the suit jacket and pants, Vacarello plays the devil in the details. The signature and highly coveted motorcycle jacket gets an updated YSL logo; the suit jacket has its pockets set lower. These quiet tweaks speak volumes. You’d expect sharp tailoring, slick leather jackets and slim denim from Saint Laurent, and that’s what you get—executed with a twist. Yet, it isn’t hard to work the brand into your existing look.
Vacarello now moves on to the next stage of Saint Laurent’s evolution. What does he have planned? Well, we’ll just have to wait and see if he manages to make fashionistas gasp in glee.